Wedding videos require precise color grading to capture the right mood. With the right LUTs, editors can create a unique style that stands out from other films.
To start, it is important to establish a neutral base with color correction. This will ensure that the LUT does not amplify existing color casts or exposure issues.
1. Look at the Skin Tones
When it comes to weddings, it’s essential that each bride and groom’s beautiful skin tone is accurately captured on film. This can be challenging because, in real life, no one person has the same complexion as anyone else. When it comes to editing, however, there are many ways that a color style can be used to manipulate skin tones and make them look more even.
LUTs, or “Lookup Tables,” are a set of formulas that can turn any input color into a new output color. These can be used to convert images from one technical standard to another, to correct monitor inaccuracies and more. But they’re also often used to add effects such as warmth or coolness, or to modify color saturation and hue.
To use a LUT to modify the color of a wedding film, you’ll need to select a reference image that contains the main subjects of your movie (either a portrait or close up shot). Then choose a LUT from the collection that best matches your reference. Once you’ve found the right look, apply it to the reference image. Then, compare the image with and without the LUT applied to see how it affects your picture.
It’s important to remember that LUTs can change a whole lot more than just skin tones. For example, a LUT designed to warm up cool tones in your pictures can easily end up looking over-saturated and overcooked in a video. So, if you’re using a LUT to change the color of a wedding film, it’s important that you also keep an eye on all other aspects of the production. This will ensure that your final product looks natural and believable.
2. Check the Lighting
A good wedding video requires more than just the right shots and editing, it also needs to feature brilliant work with color, sound, light, etc. Choosing the right LUT can help to achieve this and give your final product a look that is unique and memorable.
However, it can be challenging to get the lighting right on the day of the shoot. From dim reception halls to outdoor ceremonies that take place at noon, the different lighting environments can be difficult to manage without proper planning and preparation. This can result in a wide variety of problems, from dull and flat footage to unflattering shadows on the subject.
The best way to combat this is by doing a trial run on the location in advance. This will allow you to test out the lighting and see if it will be suitable for your shot. If possible, try to do this during the golden hour, when soft natural light is most readily available. If this isn’t feasible, bring along backup lighting equipment such as LED video lights for weddings, such as the Aputure LS 300x Bi-Colour Monolight or the Luxli Timpani 1×1 RGBAW LED Light.
You should also keep in mind that your chosen LUT may have an effect on the lighting of your footage, which can be jarring or unpleasant if done poorly. To avoid this, it’s important to choose a LUT that is designed for use with your specific camera and can be reduced in strength if necessary. This will ensure that the LUT doesn’t overpower your footage or create a noticeable effect. Also, make sure to use a 3D LUT rather than a 2D one, as the latter provides more control over individual color values.
3. Check the Mood
When choosing a wedding LUT, consider its effect on the mood of your footage. Color grading is important to create aesthetic consistency in your video, but it can also play into the tone you want to convey in your film. For example, if you’re shooting a wedding at a rustic farmhouse venue, a warm and romantic color scheme might work well with your footage. On the other hand, a black tie wedding at an elegant hotel would benefit from a darker and more dramatic color palette. To take your wedding videos to the next level, consider using the custom LUTs from Wedding Rebels, designed to add a professional touch to every shot.
Additionally, you’ll want to think about the overall rhythm of your video. This can be achieved by combining multiple clips into one longer clip or through the use of different camera angles and perspectives. For example, you might choose to include over-the-shoulder shots of guests and the couple to capture a more intimate feel. Alternatively, you might opt for dramatic, fast cuts to highlight the energy of key moments like the exchange of rings or first kiss.
Using these techniques can help overcome limitations created by practical filming constraints. For example, you might choose to show the bride walking down the aisle while capturing the emotional reactions of the couple’s friends and family waiting for her. This juxtaposition can create an emotional connection between two distinct scenes in the video and amplify their meaning. Likewise, you might use music to drive the pace of your film by slowing down or speeding up certain segments. This can give a sense of drama and build suspense, or it can help you convey a more lighthearted tone.
4. Check the Style
Many filmmakers use LUTs to achieve a specific look for their videos. For example, they may want to create a film noir style or a Ridley Scott-inspired look. Fortunately, with a little bit of know-how, it is possible to get professional-looking results with a minimal amount of work.
To start, filmmakers should understand what a LUT is and how it works. A LUT is a set of numbers that transforms color input values to output colors. It can be used to convert between different gamuts, adjust brightness and contrast, and even to change the overall hue of an image.
LUTs have been part of the industry for years and are a critical tool for colorists and DITs. They are used for both creative color grading and technical tasks like transforming logarithmic footage (sLog, cLog) to linear images for grading (Rec. 709), color correction, monitoring on set, and visual effects.
Using LUTs can be very effective and save a lot of time in the edit suite. However, if used incorrectly, they can cause all sorts of problems. Some of these issues are technical, such as if a filmmaker applies a LUT before pre-balancing their image and/or matching the exposure and white balance between shots. Other issues are more creative, such as if they stack too many LUTs or use low quality ones that are not universally compatible.
In general, a good way to ensure that your LUT is working correctly is to apply it after you have finished your initial color correction. This will ensure that any problems with exposure, white balance, or other aspects of your image are corrected before they become amplified by the LUT.
5. Check the Intensity
A good wedding videography needs to be able to convey a story. Traditionally speaking, there’s an exposition, a climax and a denouement. However, these aren’t always present in a wedding film. This is due to the fact that couples are usually not battling each other or trying to overcome an obstacle in their relationship, which can create tension and drama.
This means that a wedding filmmaker has to focus more on creating an immersive experience for their audience. They can achieve this by utilizing a range of different cinematic techniques. This includes introducing a varying amount of lighting, using various camera angles and by using music that’s appropriate for the occasion.
Another way to enhance the cinematic feel of a wedding film is by adding different color grades and effects. However, it’s important to use these tools sparingly so as not to overdo it and make the final clip look too stylized. Ultimately, the most important factor in creating a compelling wedding video is good composition.
While LUTs can be a great tool to use for color correction, it’s important that you know how to properly apply them in order to get the most out of them. For instance, some LUTs can cause a loss of image quality if they’re used on footage that hasn’t been properly adjusted.
When choosing a wedding LUT, it’s also a good idea to consider the specific input and output specifications of the footage you’re working with. For example, if you’re working with footage that was shot in log exposure, it’s important to normalize the color space before applying a LUT. This will ensure that the colors and contrast of your footage are preserved.